World Football News and Blogs

World Soccer Presents: Iconic Teams – Available Now

Jamie Evans — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 10:23:44 GMT

In 2007, World Soccer called upon a panel of experts and correspondents to compile a list of the 20 greatest teams of all time. Glancing through it, one of the most striking things is how many of those sides fell short of their ultimate objective, stumbling at the final hurdle due to bad luck or […]

World Soccer Autumn 2021 – Available Now

Sam Straw — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 08:00:59 GMT

Vote: Who’s the greatest manager of all time?

Sam Straw — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 05:00:07 GMT

Juventus keen to sell Aaron Ramsey

Sam Straw — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 13:15:10 GMT

Manchester United edge closer to signing Raphael Varane from Real Madrid

Sam Straw — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 14:48:41 GMT

Top ten most expensive Premier League transfers ever as Jadon Sancho joins Manchester United

Sam Straw — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:14:42 GMT

Reports link Harry Kane with £160 million move to Manchester City

Sam Straw — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 10:53:58 GMT

Chelsea looking to lure Robert Lewandowski to Stamford Bridge

Sam Straw — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 14:11:34 GMT

Paris Saint-Germain want to sign Paul Pogba from Manchester United

Sam Straw — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 13:49:21 GMT

Just days after Euro 2020 heroics, Gianluigi Donnarumma joins PSG

Sam Straw — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:20:26 GMT

2020 Argentinian Primera: Young Players To Watch

Tom Robinson — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 16:49:55 GMT

Tom Robinson profiles 10 of the best young players to watch in the Argentinian Primera for the 2020 season. After over 7 months without domestic football, the Argentinian Primera finally returned at the end of October. The shortened tournament will run until the end of the year in place of the Copa de la Superliga […]

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U-22 Young Players Team of the Week: Erling Haaland, Reece James & Marco Friedl feature

Sami Faizullah — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 15:53:03 GMT

A look at the best U-22 Young Players this week, looking at the La Liga, Bundesliga, Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, Eredivisie & Portuguese Primeira. Eligibility criteria is U22 for outfield players, and U23 for goalkeepers on matchday. AC Milan continued their excellent start to the season, which they hope will finish in a […]

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What could be the consequences of another lockout of the Champions League knockouts by Europe’s “Big Five” leagues?

Richard Pike — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 14:54:28 GMT

Richard Pike writes about the increasing divide between Europe’s Big 5 Leagues and the rest. 13th of December 1954, a date where an event took place which spawned a monster. Wolverhampton Wanderers, then champions of England took on Budapest Honved of Hungary containing many of the Mighty Magyar Hungarian national team who memorably lost the […]

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2020-21 Liga NOS: Young Players To Watch

Mateus Carvalho — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 18:45:49 GMT

Mateus Carvalho profiles 20 of the best young players to watch in the Liga NOS for the 2020-21 season, one from each club! In a country deeply passionate about football as Portugal, the start of the Liga NOS 2020/21 season was long awaited by football fans, hoping to drown their pandemic-related sorrows in some competitive […]

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Scout Report: Agustin Urzi | Banfield And Argentina Winger

Tom Robinson — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 18:17:23 GMT

Tom Robinson writes a detailed scout report about the Argentina and Banfield attacking midfielder, Agustin Urzi. With no confirmed date for football to return in Argentina, it’s been hard for most fans to get their fix during lockdown. One player who has been keeping everyone entertained is 20-year-old Banfield winger Agustin Urzi, who has been […]

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Can Leeds reclaim their position as a regular Premier League club?

Mateus Carvalho — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 18:43:02 GMT

Mateus Carvalho casts a discerning eye over Leeds United to assess their prospects in the Premier League. I still remember being a little kid, and obsessively watching football matches, reading sports newspapers and playing Championship Manager. It was inevitable that a number of stories started popping up in my football imagination, some of them self-discovered, […]

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Analysis: Are Chelsea’s pressing issues a concern?

Vishal Patel — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 18:22:24 GMT

Vishal Patel takes a close look at Chelsea’s defence to understand why the club conceded so many goals in the 2019-20 Premier League. Frank Lampard’s first season in charge of Chelsea was a broadly positive one. The club secured Champions League football, and made an appearance in the FA Cup final. A summer of spending […]

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2020-21 Serie A: U20 Young Players To Watch

Richard Pike — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 18:24:53 GMT

Richard Pike profiles 20 of the best Under-20 players to watch in the Serie A for the 2020-21 season, one from each club! As the start to the 2020/21 Serie A season draws ever closer, the tension and excitement amongst spectators continues to build. A new season give fans a chance to see established stars […]

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2020-21 La Liga: U20 Young Players to Watch

Richard Pike — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 10:09:51 GMT

Richard Pike profiles 20 of the best Under-20 players to watch in the La Liga for the 2020-21 season, one from each club! As the start to the 2020/21 La Liga season draws ever closer, the tension and excitement amongst spectators continues to build. A new season give fans a chance to see established stars […]

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2020-21 Premier League: U20 Young Players to Watch

Rahul Warrier — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 10:04:21 GMT

Rahul Warrier profiles 20 Young Players to watch in the 2020/21 Premier League season, one from each club! The return of Premier League football after the shortest of end-season breaks comes as a welcome relief to most fans across the globe. The excitement has been building up to a tasty opening day which sees the […]

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3-4-2-1 – Ozil & Lacazette To Start – Arsenal’s Likely Lineup for Napoli

anthony — Wed, 17 Apr 2019 11:58:26 GMT

NAlthough Arsenal are beginning to look like they will finish among the top four in the English Premier league this season, manager Unai Emery is not leaving anything to chance in his bid to take the Gunners back to the premier European club cup competition next season.

Having defeated Serie A outfit Napoli 2-0 at home in England last week, Arsenal will be aiming to ensure passage through to the next round of the Europa league tomorrow to further enhance their chances of winning their second European trophy.

Having kept a clean sheet in the home leg, the players know they can’t afford to defend too poorly against Napoli in Italy. However, considering how poor Arsenal have been away from home this season, the Gunners may regret not scoring a third at the Emirates when they had the chances to do so.

For this reason, Emery can’t afford to rotate his team too much, even if he intends to, ahead of the double Premier League game week coming up. With Napoli not scoring in North London, Emery and his team will know they have to score an away goal to boost their chances. Should Arsenal score a goal and Napoli manages to put three passed Petr Cech, Arsenal would still go through on the away goals rule.

Team News

Arsenal will still be without long-term absentees Danny Welbeck, Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding – all of who missed the first leg in London. Emery will however be able to call upon Lucas Torreira. The Uruguayan was substituted at half-time during the hard-fought 1-0 win against Watford on Monday night but reports have since emerged to suggest the move was a precautionary one.

Arsenal’s Likely Line-up

Formation: 3-4-2-1

Petr Cech (GK)

The former Arsenal number one has been the trusted hand in the Europa league so far this season and unless he gets injured in training, we do not expect that to change for this game at least.

Laurent Koscielny (CB)

Although he is ageing and now injury prone, Laurent Koscielny remains Arsenal’s most reliable centre-back and the captain of the team. He is expected to start as part of a three-man defence.

Shkodran Mustafi (CB)

Shkodran Mustafi has been bang average for Arsenal this season, and if I was Emery, I would play Konstantinos Mavropanos in his place, but I don’t see that happening. The German will likely be one of the three centre-backs on Thursday night. He will have to be at his best against Napoli’s attack.

Sokratis (CB)

Konstantinos Mavropanos played in place of his fellow Greek against Watford on Monday but with the former Dortmund star is back from suspension, so will certainly be going into the team against Napoli unless he suffers a last-minute injury.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (RWB)

In the absence of Hector Bellerin, Arsenal have little or no choice than to improvise in the right wing-back position. Stephan Lichtsteiner is another option in this role but I doubt Emery will trust him for this position in a very important match as this is. For this reason, I see Ainsley Maitland-Niles playing against Napoli.

Sead Kolasinac (LWB)

This is where Emery is likely to have the biggest selection headache. Nacho Monreal is very reliable and better than Sead Kolasinac defensively, but Kolasinac was rested against Watford (probably with the Napoli clash in mind and he is better than Monreal in attack). I foresee Emery going with Kolasinac here and bringing on Monreal in the second half.

Lucas Torreira (CM)

Should Lucas Torreira be fit he will definitely be one of the first names on the team sheet for Thursday. With him playing, Arsenal have a much better chance of getting the result they need.

Granit Xhaka (CM)

Having missed the first leg in London due to injury, Granit Xhaka is likely to be called upon on Thursday for Napoli. His defensive ability and calmness in possession will be useful for Arsenal against a very attacking Napoli side. He will however have to be at his most discipline level against the Italian.

Aaron Ramsey (LAM)

Ramsey is in good form and it will be a surprise if he doesn’t start against the Italian side. He was substituted in the 68^th minute of their last Premier League match against Watford, which is an indication that Emery has the Napoli match in mind. Should he start, his forward runs are likely to give Napoli a lot of headaches.

Mesut Ozil (RAM)

Mesut Ozil replaced Torreira against Watford in the 46^th minute of the match on Monday, but the German is likely to start against Napoli. He did well in the first leg and the team will need his creativity to get an away goal in Italy.

Alexandre Lacazette (ST)

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang playing the full match against Watford on Thursday, I can see Emery going with Alexandre Lacazette tomorrow. The Frenchman is in good form and his ability to hold up play will be very useful in Italy.

James Rodriguez And Two Other Likely Chelsea Targets To Replace Eden Hazard

anthony — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 18:24:46 GMT

Recent rumours that Chelsea star Eden Hazard has finally made up his mind over his future at Stamford Bridge has sparked fear among fans that the forward is gearing up to dump the West London club.

In a radio interview with RMC (via Sports View), the Belgium international revealed he knows what he is going to do, and has already made his decision.

La Liga giants Real Madrid are long-time admirers of the Chelsea star, and although interest in him was greatly fuelled by the return of Zinedine Zidane, the Spanish heavyweights have always been reportedly interest in him.

What the exciting forward has decided is yet to be known, though Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri admitted recently that he would not stop Hazard from leaving if he wanted to depart Stamford Bridge.

Despite having brought in Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund ahead of their next campaign, the Blues will be eyeing up further possible replacements.

We have identified three possible replacements for the Belgian, should the attacker leave in the summer:

1. James Rodriguez

With Champions League holders Real Madrid allegedly wanting Eden Hazard, the Blues could strike up a deal so that South American forward James Rodriguez moves to West London as part of the transfer agreement.

The 2014 World Cup star is out of favour at Real Madrid, and his loan spell at German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich has not gone as planned. It’s expected that the German club will not extend his deal at the Allianz Arena beyond this season.

The Colombia skipper was linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge only last summer and again in January, but no move has ever materialised.

With his playing time becoming more limited at the Bernabeu, James is unlikely to want to remain at the club and waste on the sidelines, so a summer transfer to the Premier League with Chelsea would make a lot of sense for both parties.

2. Antoine Griezmann

It doesn’t appear that Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann will join Manchester United in the upcoming summer transfer window, so the Blues should seize the opportunity to sign the Frenchman.

The future of the France international at the Madrid-based club has not been certain over the past couple of months.

However, Manchester United appear ready to end their pursuit in the attacker, who has scored 14 goals in 32 La Liga matches this season, due to the complications of the move, which leaves the Blues with a fantastic chance of signing him instead.

Chelsea have been linked with a transfer for Griezmann over the past couple of months, and with the prospect of playing alongside fellow French compatriot Olivier Giroud next season, the Stamford Bridge lure could be too good for him to turn down.

3. Marco Reus

Not long ago it was reported that Chelsea and other clubs have been told that they’ll have to pay £70 million to lure Marco Reus away from Borussia Dortmund.

Yet, with the fund Chelsea will potentially earn from the sale of Eden Hazard, the German international attacker is surely someone they could land in the summer.

The German playmaker has struggled with injury problems, playing 24 times in the Bundesliga this season against his 11 appearances last term, but the attacker has proven many times to be one of Europe’s most talented forwards.

Reus has netted 71 league goals for the German Bundesliga club, and was named the Bundesliga Player of the Year on two occasions – in 2012 and 2014.

Clearly, he could replace Eden Hazard, and it’s a move Chelsea could strike up with his German side this summer window.

Race For Top Four – Arsenal And Tottenham Remain Firm Favourites

anthony — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 13:56:14 GMT

With only few Premier League games remaining this campaign, North London duo of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, former champions Chelsea and Manchester United, all have an opportunity of sealing Champions League place next season. The chase for a top four finish is without doubt on, with the gap very close.

Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City and table toppers Liverpool look to have the top two League spots sealed up between them as their Premier League race goes down the wire, but for the four remaining members of the League’s ‘Big Six’, nothing is decided just yet.

Between the third placed Tottenham and sixth placed Arsenal, four teams are separated by four points, with a big amount of financial power and pride at stake as the league season reaches its climax.

Third placed Tottenham Hotspurs on Saturday stole a march on the Premier League top four race and positioned themselves in pole position in the keenly contested race.

The North Londoners occupy the third position leapfrogging City rivals Chelsea courtesy of a comfortable 4-0 victory over Huddersfield at the newly built Stadium.

Meanwhile, former League champions Chelsea, dropped to 5th position after their Sunday evening disappointing 2-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield Stadium.

As we approach the Premier League home stretch, it’s right we analyze who could seal the European place.

Interestingly, among all the top four contending clubs, only Chelsea are without an outstanding game having played all 34, Spurs and Manchester United all have one game in hand, with Arsenal playing one of their two outstanding games tonight against Watford.

It’s also worthy of note that all four contenders are still pretty much alive on the continent this season — Manchester United and Tottenham both have Champions League quarter-final second leg games to play this week and Chelsea and Arsenal also in the Europa League.

Third: Tottenham Hotspurs – 67 points

After a brilliant start to the league season, where the North London club kept full pace with the top two teams, Tottenham have somewhat capitulated surprisingly. Not just are Spurs now 18 points adrift current league leaders Liverpool, they’ve not been able to hold their own in the third position lately with Arsenal and Chelsea the sides that dethrone them few weeks back.

The opening of their billion-dollar Stadium has handed them much needed boost as they won their first game on the ground against Crystal Palace, ending a run of five Premier League matches without a win (via Sports View).

The London based club still have to play second placed Manchester City, and they’re not in a very convincing form at the moment.

Fourth: Chelsea – 66 points

The West London club lost to League leaders Liverpool at the weekend, thereby losing their third place position to Tottenham Hotsours, and supporters of the club want head coach Maurizio Sarri sacked, but their top four hopes are still very much alive after they climbed to top four place few weeks back of their 3-0 win over Brighton at Stamford bridge. the match against top four rivals Manchester United will be highly decisive. Should the Blues win that, they could seal champions League spot.

Fifth: Manchester United FC – 64 points

Manchester United fans believe with Ole named permanent manager, anything is possible, looking at their buoyant run under the Norwegian that has yielded a ‘miracle’ on the continent and one of the great turnarounds in the league – but there is still a lot of work to be done.

With the Red Devils awaiting consecutive fixtures with Manchester City and Chelsea, they could miss out of the race.

However, their form is good, aside recent losses to Wolves. This could go down to their ability to hold on.

Sixth: Arsenal FC – 63 points

North London giants Arsenal went as high as third position on the log for the first time in two years last month, but have now dropped to 6th position, thanks to their two games in hand with the first against Watford tonight. It’s a huge feat for Spaniard Unai Emery in his debut season, especially when you consider the Gunners setbacks in the market and the salary bill mess left behind by former boss Arsene Wenger.

However,Emery’s strong start with the Gunners will count for few if they can’t qualify for a Champions League spot next season. Luckily for Emery’s men, they have a pretty easy run of games left – and are strong favourites to seal a top four place.

Having said all of that, consistency is key – any points dropped from this point can open the door for upward or downward movement on the Premier League ladder.

Liverpool to beat city rivals for a top notch Serie A defender

EmrysWalker — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 06:42:25 GMT

Andrea Ranocchia

Jurgen Klopp is looking to pip their Merseyside rivals Everton to the signing of Inter Milan centre-back Andrea Ranocchia, as per Gazzetta dello Sport (via the Squawka).

New Reds Manager Klopp is set to bolster his squad with quality amid injuries of some key players in the heart of the defence.

The Reds were dealt two injury blows this season when both Joe Gomez and Danny Ings suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries and new Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp needs some more quality in his defence and is eyeing up a previous target in Ranocchia.

The Star reports that there has been interest in the Inter Milan defender from the likes of Dortmund, Galatasaray, AC Milan, Roma, Everton and Tottenham, but Liverpool will be hoping the lure of Klopp will tempt the Italian to move to Anfield.

Andrea Ranocchia was a regular last season and had the fourth-highest Performance Score in the Inter squad.
Ranocchia has played 72 minutes so far in the Serie A for Inter Milan this season and has won 100% (4/4) of his headers in the league this season and 100% (1/1) of his tackles in the league this season.

FIFA to investigate into Mangala’s transfer deal

EmrysWalker — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 08:16:48 GMT

Sky Sports reports that FIFA have confirmed to them they[FIFA] are investigating the transfer of Eliaquim Mangala to Manchester City from FC Porto for a possible breach of third-party ownership rules.

Doyen sports – a player representation company with bases in Malta and London – paid just £2m in 2011 for a share of his [Mangala] future value with the expectation his eventual resale would be great than the investment.

The reports indicate than Manchester City who bought the player for £32m in August 2014 is not under investigation on the issue and Doyen sports received around £10.6m in their share of the fee.

If FC Porto is found guilty of breaking the rules by the FIFA disciplinary committee, then they [FC Porto] may be fined or placed under a transfer embargo.
The French international has played 31 times in the Priemiership for the Cityzens since joining them in last year August.

Mangala began his career as a trainee at Belgian club Namur before being picked up by Standard Liege at 17.

After more than 100 first-team appearances, he joined FC Porto in a combine deal with Steven Defour for £11.4m.

Top 5 greatest players who didn’t play for their country of birth – what Mozambique, Ghana, Poland, Suriname, and Trinidad missed out on.

EmrysWalker — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 20:33:58 GMT

Some countries are blessed with talents – and players see it as a privilege playing for their countries. However, some players did not play for their country of origin for one reason or another. We bring you five of the world’s greatest players who did not play for their country of birth. Here is what Mozambique, Ghana, Poland, Suriname, and Trinidad missed out on.

1. Eusebio

Eusebio

EusebioEusebio da Silva Ferreira was born on 25 January 1942 in the Mafala neighborhood, Lourenco Marques (now Maputo). Born to a white Angolan Father a black Mozambican mother, Eusébio is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time. During his professional career, he scored 749 goals in 745 matches at club level and 41 goals for his national team, a total of 790 goals.

Nicknamed the Black Panther, the Black Pearl or o Rei (the King), he was known for his speed, technique, athleticism and his ferocious right-footed shot, making him a prolific goalscorer. He is considered S.L. Benfica ‘s and the Portugal national team’s most renowned player, as well as one of the first world-class African-born strikers.

He helped Portugal reach third place at the 1966 World Cup, being the top goalscorer of the tournament with nine goals (including four in one match against North Korea) and received the Bronze Ball award. He won the Ballon d’Or award for European footballer of the year in 1965 and was runner-up in 1962 and 1966. Eusebio died on 5 January 2014

2. Marcel Desailly

Born as Odenke Abbey on 7 September 1968 to Ghanaian parents, Marcel had his name changed when his mother married the head of the French Consulate in Accra, who adopted all her children (the former professional footballer Seth Adonkor, seven years his elder, was a half-brother of his). He arrived in France as a four-year-old, and, following Adonkor’s lead, began his career at FC Nantes. There, as part of the famed FC Nantes youth programme, he played alongside a young Didier Deschamps, who was a very good central back, who became his closest friend. Desailly turned professional in 1986, two years after his half-brother had died in a car accident. In 1992, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he reunited with Deschamps, and won the UEFA Champions League the following year. In 1994, while playing for AC Milan , he again won the Cup (scoring in the final himself), being the first player to win the Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs. During his time in Milan he won two Italian league titles, in 1994 and 1996. Although he prefers to be a sweeper and central defender, he played as a defensive midfield for Milan.

Desailly then moved to the English club Chelsea in 1998 for £4.6m, where he captained the side and played sweeper and centre-back until the end of the 2003–04 season . It was at Chelsea that Desailly formed a formidable partnership with Frank Leboeuf.

He picked up one major trophy in his six seasons with Chelsea , being on the winning side in their FA Cup triumph over Aston Villa in 2000.

Desailly was snapped up by Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa in 2004. He was appointed as the club captain and under the French coach Bruno Metsu they won the Qatar League in 2005. He then joined Qatar S.C. , leading them to second place in the league before retiring from professional football.

3. Miroslav Klose

Klose was born in the Silesian city of Opole , Poland. Both of his parents were professional athletes. His father, Josef Klose , was a professional footballer who played for Odra Opole, before leaving communist Poland in 1978 to play for French team AJ Auxerre . His mother, Barbara Jeż, was a member of the Poland women’s national handball team. As an ethnic German and German national, Josef Klose was an Aussiedler whose family had remained behind when Silesia was awarded to Poland after World War II and decided to bring his family to Germany. In 1986, then eight-year-old Miroslav joined his father in Kusel, Rhineland-Palatinate, knowing only two words of German. Klose developed his skill and passion in football from the village club, SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf, which at the time was in the German seventh division. He was also trained as an apprentice to become a carpenter.

Klose and his wife Sylwia have twin sons, Luan and Noah. In a 2007 interview with Der Spiegel, he stated that he and his wife speak Polish to their children at home, while the children learn German in school. Klose has not held Polish citizenship since the age of eighteen, as he then opted for a German passport. Klose is a Roman Catholic. Klose is best known for his performances with the German national team. He was part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup winning German squad, having previously finished second ( 2002 ) and third ( 2006 , 2010 ) in the competition and as runner-up in Euro 2008 . He is the top goalscorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup , having scored five goals in his debut World Cup in 2002 and winning the Golden Boot at the 2006 World Cup in Germany by again scoring five times.

He also scored four times in the 2010 World Cup and twice at the 2014 World Cup, which put him ahead of Ronaldo in the all-time list with 16 goals. Klose is also the top scorer of all time for Germany, who never lost a game in which Klose scored. He retired from Germany’s national team on 11 August 2014.
At club level, Klose has been a less prolific but usually reliable goalscorer. Starting his career at FC 08 Homburg , he played in the Bundesliga for Kaiserslautern , Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, and in Serie A for Lazio. He won two league titles with Bayern, and cup competitions at Bayern, Werder Bremen and Lazio.

4. Clarence Seedorf

Born in Paramaribo , Suriname, Seedorf was raised in Almere, Flevoland where he moved to when he was two years old. Growing up in a footballing family, with both his younger brothers Jürgen and Chedric Seedorf, and his father (former player and talent agent Johann Seedorf), Clarence began his career at the age of 6 in the youth ranks of his local amateur sides VV AS ’80 and Real Almere, before being discovered and recruited to the ranks of nearby Dutch Giants AFC Ajax , by “Urgent Scoutingteam”. The talent agency that was set up by Johan Cruyff himself was responsible for recruiting the likes of Frank and Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids, Robert Witschge and Patrick Kluivert to the club as well. Following in his brothers’ footsteps, under the guidance of their father and talent agent, his siblings and cousin, Stefano Seedorf would later equally join the ranks of Ajax.

Seedorf is one of the most decorated Dutch players ever. He is considered one of the most successful players in Champions League history, as he is the first, and currently, the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs – once with Ajax , in 1995 , once with Real Madrid, in1998 , and twice with Milan, in 2003 and 2007 . In 2004, he was chosen by Pelé as part of the FIFA 100.

5. John Barnes

Born and initially raised in Jamaica, the son of a military officer from Trinidad, Barnes moved to London with his family when he was 12 years old. He joined Watford at the age of 17 in 1981 and over the next six years made 296 appearances for the club, scoring 85 goals. He made his debut for England in 1983 and four years later joined Liverpool for £900,000. Between 1987 and 1997 Barnes won the then top-flight First Division twice and the FA Cup twice with Liverpool, scoring 106 goals in 403 matches. By the time of his last appearance for England in 1995 he had been capped 79 times—then a record for a black player. After two years with Newcastle United, he ended his playing career at Charlton Athletic in 1999.
Barnes moved to Scotland to become head coach of Celtic in 1999 with his former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish as director of football . This was not successful and Barnes was sacked in 2000. Since then Barnes has managed the Jamaica national team in 2008–09 and the English club Tranmere Rovers for four months in 2009.

During his playing career Barnes was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice (in 1987–88 and 1989–90) and the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year once (in 1987–88). In the run-up to England’s 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign he recorded a rap for the official team song, New Order ‘s ” World in Motion “. In 2005 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

We will continue with another list. Keep in touch.

Who do you think didn’t make the list? Let’s have you say

Liverpool eyes Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev

EmrysWalker — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 20:19:28 GMT

New Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is looking to snap the Russian from the Spanish giant to Anfield. Reports indicate that Cheryshev will be used as a replacement for Raheem Sterling who left for Manchester City in the summer.

Fichajes reports the lack of playing time for Cheryshev – just 13 minutes in La Liga this season – could persuade the winger to make the move to Anfield.

Klopp will see to strengthen his squad as he took on from Bredan Rodgers following his poor form in the Premiership this season.

Klopp’s first task as Liverpool boss will be to revamp his attack as the likes of Roberto Firmino, Christian Benteke and Danny Ings have failed to make an impact since joining the club.
Liverpool, who sit tenth on the EPL table, would require the services of the Russian after their mixed start to this season’s campaign.

Cheryshev got four goals and nine assists in the La Liga while on loan at Villarreal last season.

Klopp will take on his first task as the Red’s manager at the White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur.

Is Cheryshev the best man for Liverpool?

Manchester United targets Belgian teenager as Carrick’s replacement – reports

EmrysWalker — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 09:42:00 GMT

Manchester United is reportedly trying to tempt the 18 year old Anderlecht’s Youri Tielemans to Old Trafford.
Reports indicate that the teenager will be brought to replace the 34 year Michael Carrick who is coming to the end of his nine year stay at the Trafford in January.
Tielemans has been closely watched by Chelsea and Barcelona in recent months and the Old Trafford giants would need to move quickly to secure the Belgian star ahead of their rivals.
On 2 October 2013, Tielemans became the youngest Belgian player to play in the UEFA Champions League, making his Champions League debut at the age of 16 years and 148 days. He is considered one of the brightest young prospects in world football.

Arsenal must be miracle makers to win the title.

mustafasaeed — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 23:16:55 GMT

Arsenal fans have reached dizzy heights of hope for this season. They have been building hopes and thinking that the time is ripe for them to finally get the title in their hands. After winning the FA cup and the Community Shield twice and ending the season brilliantly, everyone thought they got the ground to really challenge for the title.

Arsenal has a brilliant squad. They have many choices at the middle, much better performances in big games defensively and the presence of game-changers like Mesut Ozil as well as Alexis Sanchez that can really give them the edge. Despite this, they are taking a huge gamble and experiencing the same mistake once again going into the season 1 or 2 pieces away from a complete puzzle.

Creating the most chances in the league, yet scoring only 3 goals (2 own goals) in 4 matches fueled the fans’ demand for a striker. A “Killer” who does not need so many chances to score and can grab the points even when his team is not performing was a blindingly obvious need for everyone. Wenger has not got it though. Things went from bad to worse for the team with the news that Danny Welbeck will be out till Christmas, leaving only one natural striker in the squad till then. Fans who were asking for a better striker than Giroud, will now hope that he stay fit and play every game, otherwise they may not be in safe hands. In one way or another, fans can understand failing to persuade a world-class striker to come or pushing a club to sell their best players. Putting the club in such a situation and the continuous lack of plan B are neither understandable nor acceptable, though.

Another demand for the fans was a defensive midfield cover, fans can no longer see the names of Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini on the team sheet, yet they are one injury away from perplexedly doing so, Francis Coquelin outstandingly emerged last season to save the Gunners and finally solve that everlasting hullabaloo and decently fill that position. But the question the manager overlooked, what if he got a long-term injury?

The question begs to be asked. Can they still win the title? Premier Soccer Chat don’t believe so.

Arsene Wenger, Manager of Arsenal.

In the unpredictable world of football, everything can happen. This one will be one of the stories to remember if something happened like winning the title with no covers in 2 extremely crucial positions, spending only 10 million pounds and not getting the best of starts is an absolute miracle.

The manager will have to get the best out of every player in the squad which still will not be enough, they will need the gods of luck to keep them going without too many injuries, especially in the attacking and the defensive midfield positions and most importantly an unexpected turnover in the form of Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott who did not look so comfortable playing upfront.

Are Man United Strong Enough to Contend for the Title?

Nikhil Agarwal — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 09:07:46 GMT

Last year, I wrote an article suggesting that despite lavish spending and a great pre-season, Manchester United were still nowhere near close to title contenders. One year on, and despite even more spending, and another strong pre season, my opinions remains unchanged. Louis Van Gaal and Ed Woodward have added quality to the team, with the likes of Matteo Darmian, Memphis Depay, and Morgan Schneiderlin already featuring heavily in the United first eleven, and yet, there is still a clear consensus amongst pundits and fans that the Red Devils remain someway behind the big two of Chelsea and neighbours Manchester City, and even Arsenal. Is this thinking justified? Let’s take a look.

Goalkeepers:

Arguably the greatest success of United’s transfer window was their ability to keep David de Dea (although in an admittedly farcical manner) at Old Trafford and stop him from joining Real Madrid. De Gea is world-class, no doubt about it, and made some absolutely world-class saves, earning points for the team almost single handedly.

Sergio Romero has started all of United’s premier league games thus far, and while he has come for some criticism following a poor showing at Swansea, the Argentine will provide solid back up to the main man De Gea.

Victor Valdes has been frozen out of the team by the manager following a public dispute, but United look good enough between the sticks without him.

Keeping hold of De Gea was massive for United

Defenders:

Over the last couple of summers, United have been linked with classy defenders such as Mats Hummels, Diego Godín, Dani Alves, and Jerome Boateng, so to go into this season once again with just Jones, Smalling and Rojo as the recognised centre-backs will be something of a disappointment for United fans. Daley Blind has done well since his appointment to the back line, but surely wouldn’t have been as good as Nicolas Otamendi, who instead finds himself in the blue half of Manchester. And yet, in sharp contrast to last season, United have been solid in defence, the loss at Swansea saw them conceded their first goals this season.

I want to especially single out for Chris Smalling for this improvement, a player who in the last 5-6 months has really upped his performances to a new level. He has shown leadership, composure, and good positional awareness to go along with his impressive physical attributes, and has now become almost indispensable for Louis Van Gaal. The Englishman signed a new contract this summer, and at the age of 25, now is the time for him to kick on and potentially become a United legend.

Matteo Darmian is another player who has looked very bright in the first weeks, looking solid in defence, and exciting in attack. The man from Torino already looks settled, and will look to cement his place in the team for years to come. However, United still lack a John Terry, Vincent Kompany, or even Rio Ferdinand type defender: One who can lead and organise from the back. That’s what the’ve been targeting since the departures of Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, and perhaps crucially, that’s what they’ve missed out on.

Chris Smalling has developed into a fine defender, but is it enough?

Midfielders:

Of all they could’ve wished to strengthen, midfield is where United have done the most adequate job. Morgan Schneiderlin provides the bite in midfield that was missing last season, Depay gives them pace and flair on the wing similar to what a young Ryan Giggs may have produced, whilst Bastian Schweinsteiger adds crucial experience.

While I am impressed with the quality of the players they’ve brought in, I’m surprised at how quickly they’ve been integrated into the team. United’s brilliant run of form in March that saw them defeat Tottenham, Liverpool and Man City saw them play exciting high tempo football in the 4-3-3 system that most people expected Van Gaal to play from the very start of the season.

However, that formation has been ditched in favour of a 4-2-3-1 system, one that allows for both Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin to play in midfield. Whilst the duo haven’t been sub standard by any means, it is a little bit puzzling why Van Gaal has so readily dropped Herrera in favour of the two new boys. The Mexican was the midfield engine during the backend of last season, chipping in with goals and assists, and working back defensively. The system doesn’t look as dynamic as the 4-3-3, with Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin not as forward thinking as Fellaini and Herrera. This was fully on show during the 0-0 draw with Newcastle United, in which they failed to create much going forward. It isn’t a big concern now, but still food for though for LVG.

Ander Herrera has seen his game time reduced with the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger

Forwards:

Wayne Rooney will always divide opinion. Whether he’s scoring goals for fun, or doing a shift for his team in midfield, it’s inevitable that some fans within Old Trafford will have a bone to pick with him. Despite scoring from penalty spot against San Marino to equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals for England, Rooney is currently in the midst of an 11 game barren streak in front of goal, dating back to April of last season. The truth of the matter is that Wayne Rooney is not an out and out goalscorer anymore (he never really was), and as he gets older, his best position will eventually be in midfield, most likely as a number 10, where he was so successful in 2013-14. Rooney’s game is built around his strong technical skill, and his ability to hold up the ball for his teammates. He’s a handful for defenders with his bullishness, while his shooting still remains strong. But history shows you that if you want to win the Premier League, you need a striker who can bag 20+ goals a season, something Rooney doesn’t look capable of doing anymore.

Is the most expensive teenager in world football, Anthony Martial, capable? On paper, the answer is no: he failed to reach double digits for goals last year in the French league, and has been capped once professionally by the French national team. The pressure will be on him, but at least he provides some pace, and will look to run beyond defenders, giving something for the likes of Juan Mata to work with. There is no doubt that United have over paid for them, but they’ve lost the negotiating power. Everyone knows they’re desperate and have the money, so it’s not surprise that they’ve had to smash a world record to get their man. With Javier Hernandez gone, Rooney and Martial will have it all to do, and it could be a tough season for United’s strikers once again.